John Slifko

About John Slifko

John Slifko, Ph.D, is the Founder and Co-Director of The Roosevelt Center for the Study of Civil Society and Freemasonry. He has an array of topics for which he is an advocate. John Slifko has dedicated his work to improving the education of young women, positively affecting climate change, working within a democracy, and studying Western Esotericism, democratic civil society, and Freemasonry. John’s ties with UCLA, as he is formerly the Director of Elections, has carried his work deeper into his passions. Slifko has worked for the Los Angeles City Council and was a part of the legislative staff and acted as a Field Representative in the United States Congress. During his tenure, he engaged in environmental issues and technology policy. He is a founding member and on the Board of Advisers at the Hannah Mather Crocker Society, Notre Dame University, and the Board of Directors at C3 Advisory Group. John Slifko is also a Co-Founder and Board Member of Project AWE.

Civil Society is referred to as the “third sector” of America, next to government and business. It comprises all individuals, groups, and non-governmental organizations that are not part of governments or business. The word, “civil,” implies diverse and pluralistic societies. They focus heavily on the rights of individuals and groups to meet in harmony at their own free will. Without civil society, the world would be in trouble and lacking balance. Civil societies keep the political field in check and strive to better businesses. Civil societies are necessary for a well-rounded and diverse population to survive, all while tolerating one another’s views and supporting one another’s ideas.

John Slifko’s interest in this area of democratic studies developed during the rise of the Solidarity Union in Poland, the rise of the Velvet Revolutions in Central Europe, and with the ultimate downfall of the authoritarian blocs. Slifko wishes to tackle questions like, “How could that occur?” “How could civil associations, the church, individual workers, a labor union, and intellectuals bring down the authoritarian states so swiftly?” “What is civil society?” “What are the historical, cultural, social, economic, and geographical origins of civil society in modernity in the 17th and 18th centuries?” “How is open-ended and probing communication in diverse processes and technique essential in always struggling civil society whether it be the printed word and attempts at polite speech in coffee houses of the 17th and 18th century; word of mouth, television, radio and print in the rise of the Solidarity Union in the 20th century; or digital social media of the 21st century as in Egypt or potentially emerging struggles in contemporary Cuba?” and, “Is there anti-democratic civil society in the power relations visible and often invisible in communication, networks and community?”

In each period and place that Slifko engages in the study of democratic struggle, and praxis, he is essentially focused on the colloquy of deliberative democracy including the moral imagination of an informed citizenry, related educational institutions, and individual and group experimentation in institution building. For example, in the period of the American War of Independence the moral ideal of an “informed citizenry”, and not rhetoric alone, was deemed essential in the midst of war and in the building of the young republic and efforts at democracy after the chaos of the war. At the exact same time egalitarian opportunities in education and institutional and personal experimentation were considered essential in the fledgling republic. This was a rich cultural inheritance of the American War of Independence. There were ideal efforts held together in moral imagination and colloquy but also retrenchments. There may be lessons here.

“How can all of us best help in an often ambiguous, tough and unjust world? And how do we take and give comfort and nurturing on this wondrous blue orb?” Slifko tackles these types of questions and more in his blogs and shared content.

About the Hydrogen Economy

John Slifko has a deep passion for the ways in which the hydrogen economy will affect the world for the better. He believes that using hydrogen as a form of sustainable energy can not only save us all money, but also save the environment from natural resource depletion and decay. John’s explosive passion on this topic is not only matched by millions around the world, but it is exceeded by those in powerful and wealthy standing.

For Example: Tom Seyer

By way of example, take billionaire Tom Seyer. According to Nick Stockton of WIRED Magazine, “Steyer parted ways with the leadership of his company and his oil and gas investments, began to fight the Keystone XL pipeline, and then reinvented himself as a one-man superfund for climate causes. His organization, NextGen Climate, has spent $170 million over the past four years advocating for policies and politicians that help the environment and advance renewable energy.”

Seyer is a strong activist against President Donald Trump’s intentions and actions towards non-sustainable energy and resource usage. John Slifko hopes to follow in his footsteps and make a deep impact on America by way of reaching out to and influencing elected officials and publishing useful and influential content and resources for his followers. If you are interested in following Tom Steyer, join him and thousands of others on April 22, 2017 in the March for Science at the Washington Mall in Washington, D.C.

On November 30, 2015, the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC began drafting the Paris Climate Agreement. Written by representatives of 196 countries, the agreement was adopted by consensus on December 12, 2015. Within provisions of the Paris Agreement, each country plans and reports on its contribution to climate control. The long-term goal of the agreement aims to keep the global average temperature from surpassing two degrees above pre-industrial levels. The results are expected to reduce risks and the impact of climate change.

In early 2015, the Benenson Strategy Group conducted 1000 interviews with likely 2016 voters nationwide in advance of the U.N. Climate Change Conference later that year. The voters were asked, “Do you strongly support, somewhat support, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose President Obama signing an international agreement committing all countries to address climate change by reducing their carbon emissions?” Overall, the results showed that 72% support it and 24% oppose.

In June 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the U.S. would cease all participation in the climate agreement. He stated that the deal would “undermine the U.S. economy,” and “puts the U.S. at a permanent disadvantage.” Per provisions of the agreement, the earliest withdrawal date can’t be before November 2020. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released shortly after this announcement found that 68% of Americans want the U.S. to lead global efforts in climate control and 72% agree that the U.S. should take aggressive action to slow climate change. What’s more, 57% polled support actions taken by majors and governors to honor the goals of the Paris Agreement despite the President’s withdrawal; 55% think their state and local government should do more, and a third believe its best to follow federal direction.

While the U.S. withdrawal of this agreement isn’t the beginning of voters demanding climate control, it proved to incite more interest and involvement from voters and activists alike. On March 29, 2018, a report was published by Gallup asking the same question it has polled about since 1992. The study’s results found that there has been a resurgence of interest in the government doing more for climate control, most likely reflecting the end of the recession and the new administration’s lack of concern with environmental protection.

Whether President Trump will ultimately decide to go through with the agreement withdrawal or if voters succeed in changing actions, climate change is in fact happening. There will be a global fight to reduce emissions and control global temperatures. The question is will the United States be a part of it? And if not, how much of an economic disadvantage might that cause?

California’s Governor, Jerry Brown, has been a political hero since the 1970’s. He has ended major tax breaks for oil companies, cracked down on polluters, and began the movement toward more solar energy. In his inaugural address back in 2015, he vowed to keep climate change as one of his key issues. His goal is to see the state of California using renewable sources for at least half of its energy use by 2030.

In late 2017, German media hailed Governor Brown as the “anti-Trump” for his efforts in keeping America involved in the commitments of the 2015 Paris Agreement, focusing to cut down greenhouse emissions. Even with the doubt expressed by President Trump about the reality of climate control and the threat of leaving the Paris Agreement in 2020 for U.S. business benefits, Governor Brown persists.

“Unfortunately, no one’s in charge — everyone is creating the problem, and unless everyone contributes to the solution, then the job won’t get done. So if Germany does a good job, but China doesn’t, we’re not accomplishing anything. If the United States does something, but India doesn’t go with it, it won’t solve the problem” said Governor Brown on his 10-day visit enroute to the UN conference in 2017.

With a common destiny for everyone around the globe, we all have to wake up and begin taking action. The timing is unknown, as well as the magnitude, but for those who see the scientific proof and understand that this is a problem, it’s our job to lead the world to this realization.

This September, Governor Brown will be hosting a Global Summit to unite people around the world to inspire greater commitments in support of decreasing global climate change. Those in attendance will share what achievements they’ve made toward improving our world and what commitments they’ll make to continue cutting emissions, decarbonizing, and protecting our prosperity. Overall, the summit aspires to change the conversation of climate change. By broadening and depoliticizing the issue, there’s hope that more will feel empowered to call for change.

This past summer, Governor Jerry Brown of California announced the 2018 Global Climate Action Summit is set to be held in San Francisco on September 12th through the 14th.

In a recent video of Governor Brown posted to the Global Climate Action Summit, he calls for tens of millions of people to join together to help fight climate change. Climate change is providing an existential threat to not only Americans but everyone around the globe. Governor Brown is calling for business owners, musicians, singers, mathematicians, students, professors, scientists, and anyone who can help represent the world’s population to do something.

While President Trump is trying to get out of the Paris Agreement, he does not speak for all Americans. Whether you’re in California or any other state across America, now is the time for our actions.

This summit will prove to the people that there are leaders and everyday citizens all over the globe who are committed to supporting the Paris Agreement. Speakers will share what has been achieved so far in the race against climate change and what they will commit to doing in the immediate future to further improve our world.

The commitments we make in 2018, we will begin to gain us momentum for the turning point we expect to see in 2020 which will prevent horrific effects of climate change. Nations around the globe will be held accountable for cutting emissions that limit warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, based on a trajectory backed by science.

The result of this summit will ultimately lead to the depoliticizing of the issue, a broadened conversation, and a stronger desire to preserve the world’s future.

Co-chairs for the Global Climate Action Summit are Governor of California, Jerry Brown; Executive Secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, Patricia Espinosa; Chair of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra; and U.N. Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, Michael Bloomberg. The Advisory Committee is made up of Andrew Higham, Facilitator of the Advisory Committee & CEO of Mission 2020; Aron Cramer, President and CEO of BSR; Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group; Manuel Pulgar Vidal, Leader of Climate and Energy Practice at WWF International and former President of COP 20; Mark Watts, Executive Director of C40; Mindy Lubber, President & CEO of Ceres; and Wael Hmaidan, Executive Director of Climate Action Network International.